The FAD-Plus: Measuring Lay Beliefs Regarding Free Will and Related Constructs

We describe the development of FAD-Plus, a 27-item measure of lay beliefs in free will and 3 closely related constructs: scientific determinism, fatalistic determinism, and unpredictability. Previously published measures included only a subset of these variables and tended to assume an a priori patt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of personality assessment Vol. 93; no. 1; pp. 96 - 104
Main Authors Paulhus, Delroy L., Carey, Jasmine M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2011
Taylor & Francis
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects
Adult
Belief & doubt
Biological and medical sciences
Determinism
Discriminant analysis
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Five factor model
Free will
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Internal-External Control
Internet
Lay conceptions
Likelihood Functions
Locus of control
Male
Measurement
Middle Aged
Personal Autonomy
Personality Inventory - standards
Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data
Personality traits
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics
Reliability
Self-Assessment
Students
Studies
United States
Universities
Young Adult
United States
Belief
Human
Questionnaire
Attitude
Psychometrics
Personality
Naive theory
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Summary:We describe the development of FAD-Plus, a 27-item measure of lay beliefs in free will and 3 closely related constructs: scientific determinism, fatalistic determinism, and unpredictability. Previously published measures included only a subset of these variables and tended to assume an a priori pattern of relations among these 4 beliefs. In Study 1, exploratory factor analyses suggested relatively independent factors. This independence was sustained in Study 2, using a confirmatory analysis. Each of the 4 subscales (Free Will, Scientific Determinism, Fatalistic Determinism, and Unpredictability) showed acceptable internal consistencies. Study 2 also mapped out associations with the Big Five personality traits and showed that believing in free will is not synonymous with having an internal locus of control. Study 3 replicated the instrument's structure and subscale reliabilities in a community sample. Preliminary applications are described.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0022-3891
1532-7752
DOI:10.1080/00223891.2010.528483